Canada ready to curb cig marketing again

Canada announced a tough new tobacco policy that will severely curtail advertising and promotion of cigarettes.

The legislation will be introduced to Parliament this week, with approval expected.

ALL BROADCAST ADS BANNED

Under the new rules, all broadcast ads, outdoor boards and other types of display ads--as well as the use of company logos and other identifying messages on baseball caps, duffel bags and other non-tobacco products--would be banned.

The only ad medium allowed for tobacco products would be publications with an adult readership.

Health Minister David Dingwall said the new policy should meet the legal tests set out in the 1995 Supreme Court ruling that rescinded an ad ban on tobacco in place since 1988.

Also affected is tobacco companies' involvement in sponsorships. The tobacco industry spends about $50 million a year in Canada to support cultural and sporting events, most of which contain the name of the company or product in the title.

Mr. Dingwall said the new policy will place severe restrictions on sponsorship activity, including not allowing tobacco marketers to name events with their product or company names.

`LIKELY ILLEGAL'

The Canadian Tobacco Manufacturers Council, the industry association representing the country's three largest tobacco marketers--Imasco; Rothmans, Benson & Hedges; and RJR-Macdonald--called the measures "extreme and ineffective, and likely illegal."